STEVE JOBS (2015)

Danny Boyle directed this film from a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin that is based on the book STEVE JOBS by Walter Isaacson. Though Mr. Sorkin is a brilliant writer (Oscar winner for THE SOCIAL NETWORK & Creator and Chief Writer of TV’s THE WEST WING) he has basically written a play that was filmed on numerous locations throughout the Bay Area. The dialogue is the chief problem here, coming off as pedantic and laborious with an air of “Ain’t I brilliant.” The story is set backstage during the iconic launch of three major Apple products and the firing of Mr. Jobs by his Board of Directors and his rehiring a few years later when Apple found itself on the rocks. In between times, Mr. Jobs has to deal with whether or not he will acknowledge the daughter he had from a former relationship and his relationships​ with various Apple co-workers, all of whom he seems to feel owe him for their success. I have to give the film credit for not​​​​​​​​​ whitewashing Mr. Jobs and showing that with true genius there can be arrogance, cruelty and selfishness from a personality whose own ego spun out of control and threatened to destroy him (some would say it did). The casting of Michael Fassbender could have been better thought out, considering he looks nothing like Steve Jobs and lacks the acting chops, at least here, to pull anything off other than a one note performance of a man you don’t really like. Kate Winslet acquits herself quite well here as Joanna Hoffman, Steve’s right hand man/person, as does Seth Rogan as Steve Wozniak. Anyone who watched THE NEWSROOM on HBO will be able to tell you that Mr. Sorkin’s dialogue is starting to sound self-important and gratuitous in nature to the overall detriment of the story as a whole. Though I agree with most of his political views and love it when one of his protagonists (almost always liberal) tells off one of his antagonists (almost always arch conservatives) the faulty ideology that they are defending. STEVE JOBS is an interesting film but perhaps should have been produced on stage where it would have been better suited.